Elle George, Reporter
@ellegcourant
Michael Mank has been playing the trumpet for nearly six years. Music has played an important role in his childhood. Before starting to play the trumpet in grade six, he played percussion.
“I was always listening to music when I was younger,” Michael said. “Once I heard about playing in a band and starting playing the trumpet, I knew it was going to be a passion of mine.”
Michael has been able to turn his passion into a success. So far, he has made All-Eastern, a band consisting of 200 students from Maine to Maryland, and All-States, where he was one of three musicians playing the trumpet. Michael also played in an all Long Island band while living there. He later got accepted into western regionals and Nyssma while he lived in New York. Nyssma stands for the New York State School Music Association, it’s a professional organization that evaluates student musicians. Michael was selected for their conference. He has also found that the pandemic helped his playing. And after spending quarantine practicing, he received recognition from the ASBDA national honor band.
“I’ve been able to spend more time on it especially through quarantine. Spending more time on technique, doing more lessons virtually and just making music,” He said. “And that’s been fun.”
The ASBDA is a prestigious national band for high schoolers consisting of 62 members from around the country. For the trumpet, they only accept six students. It’s also where band teachers from around the country get together. This year’s group will consist of mostly people who got in last year and some new people as well.
“I was really surprised,” Michael Mank said, referring to his acceptance. “This is my first time doing something nationally. Seeing the history and being a part of a band with a very limited number of members from around the country will be a cool experience.”
Michael plans on taking his love of music to college whether that means just continuing to play or through his major.
“I plan on incorporating music whether that’s majoring in trumpet performance or just being a part of a band,” Michael said. “It’s always something I want to keep in my life.”
